Hudibras · Chapter
Canto II explained
Hudibras and Ralpho engage in a heated theological dispute over the nature of oaths and whether it is a sin to break one's word.
What happens
Hudibras and Ralpho engage in a heated theological dispute over the nature of oaths and whether it is a sin to break one's word. Their argument escalates to the point of drawing weapons, but they are interrupted by a bizarre and raucous procession—a mock triumph featuring a crowd with horns, pans, dogs, and a woman riding backwards on a horse. The spectacle distracts them from their quarrel, and they watch in wonder as the parade passes by.
Themes in this chapter
Religious Hypocrisy
Ralpho argues that saints may perjure themselves for self-advantage, exposing the hypocrisy of those who claim moral superiority while breaking oaths.
Satire of Ideology
The entire dispute between Hudibras and Ralpho parodies the pedantic and self-serving theological arguments of Puritan factions.
Folly of Pedantry
The knights' absurd debate over the semantics of oath-breaking exemplifies the folly of over-intellectualizing moral questions.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“Oaths are but words, and words but wind; Too feeble implements to bind; And hold with deeds proportion so As shadows to a substance do.”
Oaths are merely empty sounds, as insubstantial as shadows compared to actions.
Ralpho dismisses the binding power of oaths, a key point in his argument for perjury.
“Did they not swear, at first, to fight For the king's safety and his right, And after march'd to find him out, And charg'd him home with horse and foot; But yet still had the confidence To swear it was in his defence.”
They swore to defend the king, then attacked him, yet still claimed it was for his protection.
Ralpho cites the hypocrisy of Parliamentarians who broke oaths while professing loyalty.